Contractors shortlisted for Port Botany freight connections

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Freight transport improvements through the economic gateway of Port Botany are closer to reality, with major firms shortlisted to design and construct the Botany Rail Duplication and Cabramatta Loop projects.

Three contractors have been shortlisted by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to bid for the Botany Rail Duplication Project, including CPB Contractors, Laing O’Rourke and John Holland.

Downer EDI, Fulton Hogan and John Holland have been shortlisted to bid for the Cabramatta Loop Project.

ARTC CEO and Managing Director John Fullerton said improving freight performance at Port Botany is critical for the economic growth and prosperity of Sydney, with the amount of container freight handled by the port set to increase by 77 per cent by 2036.

“The Australian Government has committed $400 million to meeting this future freight demand, with the Botany Rail Duplication and new Cabramatta Loop projects long identified as key projects to enable more freight to be transported by rail from Sydney,” Mr. Fullerton said.

“Each freight train can take up to 54 trucks worth of freight off the road, tackling congestion and improving the everyday commute in Sydney.”

According to Mr. Fullerton, the two projects will strike a balance between rail and road by duplicating the remaining single freight rail track section of the Botany Line between Mascot and Botany, and constructing a new passing loop on the Southern Sydney Freight Line between Cabramatta Station and Warwick Farm Station.

“Once complete, the Cabramatta Loop Project will allow freight trains travelling in either direction along the Southern Sydney Freight Line to pass each other and provide additional rail freight capacity for the network,” he said.

The formal tender process for both projects will begin this year.